Fishing is an ancient practice of catching fish that dates back to, at least, around the Paleolithic period. Fishing techniques include hand gathering, netting, spearing, trapping and angling. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as mollusks, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. In addition to providing food and/or income, fishing also provides a recreational outlet for pleasure or sport where fish are caught and then released back into the wild.
One popular form of fishing is angling where a hook is used to catch fish. The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is attached to a fishing rod. Such fishing rods are typically fitted with line guides and a fishing reel for storing, retrieving and playing out the fishing line. The fishing rod can be composed of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or graphite. The hook can be dressed with a lure or bait to attract the fish.
To initiate angling, the fishing line is cast out with the lure or bait over the water using the flexible fishing rod. The usual technique is for the angler to quickly flick the rod from behind toward the water. The line is then retrieved through the reel to draw the lure or bait through the water to entice the fish to strike. Through the rod and reel, the angler can move the lure or bait through the water in a manner that attracts the attention of the fish.
Frequently, anglers may use more than one fishing rod and line to maximize the opportunity for a catch. For example, trolling involves towing two or more fishing lines each dressed with a lure or bait through the water. This may be accomplished by mounting the fishing lines on a slow moving vessel. As mentioned, it is often desirable to add motion to the lure or bait such as by sweeping or jigging the fishing rod in a back and forth manner and confer the appearance and/or behavior of a dying, injured or fast moving prey that is particularly enticing to fish. However, this task would be difficult for an angler handling multiple fishing lines and/or rods.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fishing apparatus designed to assist angling in a substantially hands-free manner.